Seven departments fight total loss blaze at Al’s Restaurant

HARBOR BEACH - Seven fire departments responded to a blaze at a nearly 160-year-old building early Monday morning. Responders were still fighting the total loss roughly six hours after it ignited and workers swept the main street in a light mist later that morning.
Photo by John Bonke HARBOR BEACH - Seven fire departments responded to a blaze at a nearly 160-year-old building early Monday morning, and responders were still fighting the total loss roughly six hours after it ignited.

Starting around 4 a.m. Monday, between 50 and 60 firefighters responded to a blaze at Al’s Restaurant in Harbor Beach, said Jason Lermont, the fire chief. Designated a total loss, Lermont said it appears the fire originated in the kitchen on a cooktop and traveled up a vent to the second-floor apartment, where two tenants were sleeping before first responders came on scene.

The tenants were unharmed after firefighters got them out safely, Lermont said. He added that the owner of Al’s reported the fire as he was preparing to cook breakfast.

Lermont was told the building is nearly 158 years old, dating back to 1860. As of 10 a.m. Monday, firefighters were still on the scene knocking down hot spots and conducting an investigation, Lermont said. No surrounding structures sustained considerable damage.